The Los Angeles Dodgers have been one of the best teams in baseball, but not everything is right for the team. Injuries have decimated the Dodgers roster this season, with some of them carrying over into the second half of the regular season.
In the months to come, the Dodgers will be battling for the No. 1 spot in the National League and home-field advantage throughout the MLB playoffs. Meanwhile, several Dodgers stars will be competing for awards and Los Angeles also has the MLB trade deadline.
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With all of that in mind, let’s dive into our Dodgers predictions for the second half of the season.
Los Angeles Dodgers Trade For Garrett Crochet
It’s no secret that Los Angeles is interested in Garrett Crochet. The Dodgers already made a trade offer to the Chicago White Sox and that was before Tyler Glasnow hit the injured list. Starting pitching is a glaring need for the club and Crochet fits everything they want.
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The deal will obviously come at a significant cost. In terms of prospects, any deal will likely need to include No. 1 prospect Dalton Rushing and another one of the Dodgers top prospects on the pitching side (River Ryan or Kyle Hurt). There’s added risk for Los Angeles, given Crochet’s innings limit might force him into the bullpen in October, but he’ll be a front-line starter in August through September and then 2025-’26.
Yimi Garcia Added To Dodgers Bullpen
The Dodgers bullpen is another area the team wants to address this summer. While Los Angeles has been linked to Miami Marlins’ All-Star closer Tanner Scott, the number of teams interested in him pushed us in another direction. While he is a righty, unlike Smith, Garcia has been outstanding this year when healthy.
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- Yimi Garcia stats: 2.57 ERA, 0.79 WHIP in 28 innings pitched
He’s also someone the Toronto Blue Jays are unwilling to move, unlike other options we considered from the Texas Rangers (Kirby Yates and David Robertson). Plus, with Garcia coming off a stay on the injured list, and a half-season rental he is more affordable. While this move would make Los Angeles pretty right-handed heavy, it does make the Dodgers bullpen better.
Los Angeles Posts The Best MLB Record In August
As previously mentioned, the injuries have been brutal to Los Angeles this season. Everyone knew Clayton Kershaw would be on the injured list for the first half of the season. Other blows would come, which naturally happens in a 162-game season, but losing Betts, Glasnow, Yamamoto, and Muncy feels excessive.
- Los Angeles Dodgers injuries: Tyler Glasnow, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Clayton Kershaw, Walker Buehler, Ryan Brasier, Max Muncy, Mookie Betts, Jason Heyward
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While not all of them will return in August, there will be some difference-makers rejoining the Dodgers lineup in August. Los Angeles will drop the home series to the Philadelphia Phillies, but then rip off series wins against the Pirates, Brewers, Cardinals, and Mariners. With Betts back and a strengthened roster following the MLB trade deadline, Los Angeles will start looking like a World Series contender again.
Shohei Ohtani Vies For A Third MVP
It legitimately could’ve been a fantastic National League MVP race down the stretch between Betts and Ohtani. Instead, the Dodgers’ lone hope at taking home the award is the two-time AL MVP winner. Typically, Ohtani is the overwhelming favorite because of what he does as a two-way player. This season, even with Ohtani only serving as the designated hitter, there’s still an overwhelming case for him.
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We’re projecting a home run surge for Ohtani, which sees him finish the regular season with 50-plus home runs and 120 RBI. He’ll lead MLB in OPS, become a member of the 30-30 club, and finish top five in batting average and top 10 in stolen bases.